A criminal investigator with the Environmental Protection Agency contacted Houston attorney Matt Shaffer this week about talking to one of the three rig workers he represents. Shaffer wouldn’t say which of his clients the investigator was interested in and he didn’t know the specific topics, just that it would include questions about both his hitch on the rig when the explosion occurred and activities during his prior stint.

And several criminal defense lawyers involved in the accident have said an FBI agent tried to contact witnesses directly in the past week instead of contacting their attorneys.

Why now and not sooner? It’s possible investigators didn’t want to interfere — or at least have it appear they were interfering — with the Coast Guard/BOEMRE panel. Criminal investigations make it less likely people will testify in other proceedings.